Speaker John Boehner, who rose from bartender’s son to the most powerful man in Congress, will retire at the end of October, ending a tumultuous five-year tenure atop the House of Representatives.
Boehner, 65, planned to leave Congress at the end of 2014, one of his aides said Friday morning, but returned because of the unexpected defeat of Eric Cantor.
“The Speaker believes putting members through prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution,” the Boehner aide said. “He is proud of what this majority has accomplished, and his speakership, but for the good of the Republican Conference and the institution, he will resign the Speakership and his seat in Congress, effective October 30.”
On Thursday evening as he left the Capitol, Boehner (R-Ohio) told two reporters — one from POLITICO and another from the Washington Post — that he had nothing left to accomplish after he brought Pope Francis to the Capitol. When asked if he was resigning, Boehner laughed before exiting into an awaiting SUV with his Capitol Police detail.
Boehner came into power on the momentum of the 2010 tea party wave, but it was that movement that gave him the most problems. Boehner’s tenure will be remembered for his internal political battles, but also his complicated relationship with President Barack Obama. He and Obama tried — but repeatedly failed — to cut a deal on a massive fiscal agreement. But Boehner has had some significant victories, including the free-trade deal that Congress passed this year, and changes to entitlement systems.
Now that he doesn’t have internal political considerations to weigh, Boehner is certain to push through a government-funding bill next week that funds Planned Parenthood, and keeps the government open.
Boehner’s decision, relayed in a closed Republican meeting Friday morning, will set off one of the most intense leadership scrambles in modern Congressional GOP politics. Second in line is House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who is widely expected to serve as the next speaker. But there is serious unrest in the House Republican ranks, as a small clutch of conservatives have continuously clashed with more establishment Republican types. But it is unclear if any of these figures can win a leadership election.
Presuming he really does, what will he and O’blahblah cook up and do to further destroy us before he ‘steps’ down. Chances are, he’ll just be another over-paid lobbyist and he’ll still be pushing the nwo and commi agenda.
Can only hope that he gets what he has comin’……..
He walks with a $170,000 PLUS a year retirement check, free health care for life, paid by the tax payers, free access to any one in congress. This bastard should walk with NOTHING
Its where he will end up next that bothers me more
like Eric Holder and his “new Gig”
“The Speaker believes putting members through prolonged leadership turmoil would do irreparable damage to the institution,”
The ‘institution’ being the jew agenda.
The only possible “irreparable damage” would be if they were all dead.
Cry baby is retiring and I’m sure, like Clinton and Holder, the bastard will do something else to corrupt and infect society. Like the Chinese people say about the Communist Party in China, “when you join the Party, you join them for LIFE!” There’s no such thing as retirement.